Strip for Murder features Shell Scott, private detective. I like the Shell Scott books. They tend to be a lot of fun, pretty campy and over the top and a bit of a send-up of the hardboiled detective novel.
Richard S. Prather imagines a world where the criminal underclass is identifiable by their nicknames and their Dick Tracy-like villainous physical identifiers. They speak in hood-speak, a linguistic code known to few outside of criminals, tipsters and our hero, Shell Scott.
I mentioned earlier that Donald Lam's weakness seems to be a good book
Read While Walking: Why Donald Lam is my favourite detective. Shell Scott has a weakness for women. It's done in a humourous, bordering on ridiculous manner, but it usually draws a laugh, since he can't seem to think straight or keep his mind on his objective when there's an attractive woman in close proximity.
Strip for Murder involves Shell Scott investigating a nudist colony. A surprising number of Shell Scott novels involve the detective being obligated to be around women with clothing deficits, and it usually means our detective is unable to make his brain fully function. He gathers clues through his criminal underground telegraph, and blunders around until he solves the mystery and saves the day.
A couple of elements from Strip for Murder seem a bit recycled, and the mystery isn't much of a trick for those who can decipher hood-speak, but it's still fun. Richard S. Prather tries to include a little more characterization than usual for the love interest, having her demonstrate a few emotions from time to time, but quickly breezes past that to get on with the plot. The big set pieces, involving a knight in armor, and the finale with the balloons had me chuckling out loud, and that's why I like to pick up the Shell Scott books.
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